Samsung Announces Rugged Galaxy S4 Active

Not content with just two versions of its super popular Galaxy S4 smartphone including the Galaxy S4 mini, Samsung is bringing out a third permutation of the handset geared toward those with a more active lifestyle. The aptly named Galaxy S4 Active features IP67 protection, which means the handset can survive anything from dust and sand to sitting in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

The S4 Active also sees some slight modifications to its design including physical Home, Back and Menu buttons, as opposed to the soft touch buttons found on the regular Galaxy S4. The Galaxy S4 Active sports a 5-inch 1080p TFT LCD display, rather than the 5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display offered on the original Galaxy S4. Similarly, the S4 Active sees its rear-facing camera reduced from 13-megapixels to 8-megapixels.

Those differences aside, the Galaxy S4 Active is essentially a copy of its less robust sibling. You still get the same Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 OS, 1.9-GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage with the option to increase that via a microSD card slot under the rear panel. For better or worse, you also get the same number of functions and apps Samsung includes with the standard Galaxy S4 including Smart Scroll and Smart Pause, Air View and various gesture controls.

Samsung says the Galaxy S4 Active will begin rolling out to U.S. carriers this summer and will be available in three colors: Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare. Stay tuned for a full review of the Galaxy S4 Active, as soon as we get our hands on one.

A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.